European Commission: four senior appointments

The European Commission has appointed Nadia Calviño as the next director-general for budget to replace Hervé Jouanjean when he retires.

Calviño is currently a deputy director-general for the internal market and services, a post to which she was appointed in October 2010.

An economist and lawyer by training, before joining the Commission she held several posts in Spain’s national government, including as director-general for competition in the ministry of economy and finance.

When she joined the Commission as a deputy director-general (at 38) she was the youngest ever, in charge of mergers in the competition department.

The college of commissioners yesterday (2 April) also made three other senior appointments.

Olivier Guersent has been appointed as deputy director-general for mergers in the Commission’s competition department.

Guersent is currently head of the private office of Michel Barnier, the European commissioner for the internal market and services. He is to take over from Bernd Langeheine, a German, who retires on 1 June.

Guersent joined the Commission in 1992 after eight years in the French civil service. His last Commission assignment before moving to Barnier’s cabinet was as director of cartels in the competition department (2009). He was deputy head of the private office of Neelie Kroes in 2004-06 and adviser to commissioners Barnier (1999-2001) and Karel Van Miert (1996-99).

Agnieszka Ewa Kazmierczak of Poland has been appointed as director of the resources directorate shared between the energy department and the department for mobility and transport.

She is currently director for horizontal affairs and audit in EU agencies in the Commission’s internal audit service and is to take up her new post, which is currently vacant, on 1 June.

The Commission also appointed José Leandro as director of resources and communication in the department for economic and financial affairs.

He is currently the principal adviser on socio-economic questions to Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council.

Before joining Van Rompuy’s cabinet, he had been a head of unit in the Commission’s departments for development and for economic and financial affairs.